1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to improved information processing systems. In particular, the present invention relates to improved graphical user interfaces utilized in association with such information processing systems. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to improved pointing devices which can be utilized in accordance with graphic user interfaces, such as a mouse pointing device, which may be a wireless or wireline mouse.
2. Description of the Related Art
A graphical user interface is a type of display format which enables a user to choose commands, start programs, and see lists of files and other options by pointing to pictorial representations and lists of menu items on a computer display screen. Choices can generally be activated by either a keyboard or a pointing device. A pointing device is a type of input device utilized to control on-screen cursor actions such as "pressing" on-screen buttons, and selecting ranges of cells in spreadsheets or groups of words in a document. Pointing devices are often utilized to create drawings or graphical shapes. The most commonly utilized pointing device known today is a so-called "mouse."
A mouse is a commonly utilized pointing device, containing one or more buttons, that allows a user to interact with a product or operating environment such as a graphical user interface. A mouse typically includes a casing with a flat bottom. The mouse is designed to be gripped by one hand, and includes one or more buttons on the top of the mouse and a multidirectional detection device, usually shaped like a ball, on the bottom of the mouse. A cable typically connects the mouse to a computer. By moving the mouse on a surface such as a desk or mouse pad, a user can control an on-screen cursor. Because there are no defined limits to the mouse's movement and because the placement of the mouse on a surface does not map directly to a specific screen location, the mouse is considered to be a relative pointing device. Thus, to select items or choose commands on the screen, the user presses one of the mouse's buttons, producing a so-called mouse "click."
The user can interact with on-screen graphical elements via the mouse. The mouse controls a mouse pointer, which is a type of on-screen graphical element utilized by the mouse. The mouse pointer is displayed on a computer monitor screen such that its location on-screen changes as the user moves the mouse. Depending on the location of the mouse pointer and the operation of the program (i.e., the graphical user interface within which the mouse pointer is displayed), the area of the screen where the mouse pointer appears serves as the target for an action when the user presses one of the mouse buttons.
Some conventional graphical user interfaces provide a cursor and scroll bar for scrolling through portions of a viewable object. A viewable object can contain multiple components such as spreadsheets, text, hotlinks, pictures, sound, and video object. However, a viewable object is not limited to these components. In many types of graphical user interfaces, a vertical or horizontal bar at the side or bottom of a graphical user interface window can be utilized in conjunction with the mouse to move about in a viewable object. Scrolling permits viewing of any desired portion of a viewable object and is so named because it is the electronic equivalent of reading through a rolled (i.e., scrolled) viewable object rather than flipping through pages of a book. A vertical scroll bar is usually utilized to control up and down movement (e.g., through lines and pages of a viewable object), while a horizontal scroll bar controls movement across a viewable object.
In utilizing a mouse to interact with a graphical user interface via mouse pointers and viewable objects, users who are left-handed often have difficulty utilizing a mouse that has been previously designated a right-handed mouse. Although it is not terribly difficult to switch a mouse between left- and right-handedness, a mouse in the wrong handedness presents a significant nuisance to the user. A left-handed person often feels uncomfortable altering a right-handed person's computer settings from a right-handed mouse to a left-handed mouse. Left-handed users in particular, when borrowing a computer having a mouse are likely to forget to reset the mouse preference, which takes time and can often be a frustrating task.
Likewise, individuals who are right-handed and attempt to install software or fix problems on a computer that has been previously designated as a left-handed computer via the mouse, can find it frustrating to make the repairs or install the software or may even conclude that the computer is working improperly simply because the mouse does not perform as expected. In situations where computers are shared (e.g., laboratories, homes, public kiosks, etc.), the frequency with which a user desires to switch a mouse preference is even higher.
Although nearly every operating system allows users to alter mouse preferences, many operating systems also allow users to hide the dialog boxes that allow users to access the mouse preference. Such situations are commonly encountered in "demo" scenarios, where a particular product is demonstrated via a graphical user interface. A salesman, for example, might hand the system to a customer to demonstrate the product and when the left-handed or right-handed customer finds that the mouse has been set to an opposite setting, the customer quickly loses his or her enthusiasm for the product simply because the mouse will not operate properly due to their left- or right-handedness.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that a need exists for a mouse which would automatically alleviate the problems faced by left- or right-handed users in utilizing a mouse having an opposite "preferences" setting (i.e., an ambidextrous mouse). Such a mouse, if implemented, would prevent the frustration and time in altering mouse preferences, and would also in particular benefit left-handed users.